Radical Normality

Why They Hate Us

2011-05-07T00:33:00.001-04:00

I remember one of the prevailing questions after 9/11 was: "Why do they hate us?"
And I remember the prevailing answer being: "They hate us for our freedom"
This is a ridiculous notion, regardless of the fact that they did actually give "reasons" (US troops in Saudi Arabia the home of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and US support for Israel), the notion that anyone would hate anyone simply for being free is so absurd that only a country as gullible as us would buy it. (70% of Americans in 2004 thought Saddam was directly behind 9/11. 60% of Americans in 2010 thought Obama was a muslim. And I'm not even gonna quote figures on how many people thought Obama was not born in the US)
Perhaps what they hate is that since 9/11 our troops have invaded or occupied a total of FOUR arab countries, and our support of Israel has grown only stronger in the face of their crackdowns on the Palestinians increasing.
Perhaps we still don't understand what our role in the world is and what the repercussions of our actions are globally.
Perhaps the fact that the initial reasons they gave us for 9/11 have only gotten worse means that we should be afraid?
I for one was in Brooklyn when it was announced that we had killed Osama, and I was truly a bit frightened to be in NYC in the immediate aftermath.

In the immediate clusterfuck aftermath of 9/11, the cable news channels played a clip that was supposedly of palestinians celebrating in the streets.

This video was proven to be from an entirely different celebration of an entirely different event in the past. But until it was shown to be so, I would not hear the end of references to it as an example of whats so wrong with the Muslim world and why they hate us.
So I would ask that we look at our reaction to what ended up being a fabricated video: we were filled with hatred towards these people that would celebrate death.

What must the arab world be thinking about our very REAL reaction to Osama's death?
We're all celebrating like we're all Bostonians and the Red Sox just broke the curse.
Of course I hate this man and what he did to us, but our reaction is starting to become scary.
We're taking so much joy in a man's death that it's really starting to frighten me, and I don't even hate America already.
America hasn't been occupying my country or bombing my innocent family.
But we have been doing it to so many others. We have at minimum killed upwards of 100,000 innocent civilians during the course of the war on terror (George W Bush's figure, not mine). 100,000 people who's families consider the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or our operations in Lybia and Pakistan to be THEIR 9/11. What we call collateral damage they call dad or mom or son or daughter. And for the last week, if they tuned in to any US media they would have seen us ravenously celebrating our successfully enacted revenge. Of course they probably don't like Osama either, but I bet they hate Bush as much as they hate him, and probably do consider his motivation fairly just despite disagreeing with his actions.
What do they see when they see us?
Freedom?
or
Violent hatred, vengeful joy, celebrating death, continuing to escalate war(we're on the brink with Syria, Iran and Pakistan).

They don't hate us for our freedom.
They hate us for the horrible things we've been doing with it.
They hate us because we have rights they don't have, and we're CHOOSING to be the great assholes of the world.

Why I Love the NBA - Grizzly Men: Shane Battier and the Gasol Brothers

2011-04-18T02:34:00.001-04:00

The NBA expanded to add the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995.
The Grizzlies never put together a good enough team to even make the playoffs the entire time they were in Vancouver. In 2001 they moved to Memphis and drafted Shane Battier, an Uncle Tom from Duke as Jalen Rose would say. The Grizzlies also were able to trade their only star, the forgettable Shareef Abdul-Rahim, for the Atlanta Hawks' 1st round pick Pau Gasol.
Battier and Gasol would turn the Grizzlies' franchise, if not around, at least significantly rotated.
Between 2003 and 2006 the Grizzlies would make the playoffs 3 consecutive times and be swept 4-0 in the 1st round every year. In 2006 Memphis traded Battier for the Houston Rockets' 1st round pick, my alma mater Uconn's Rudy Gay, who has since become the Grizzlies' maximum salaried franchise player. In 2008 the Grizzlies would trade Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers who had been struggling to find a star compliment to Kobe Bryant since trading Shaquille O'Neil. One of the players the Grizzlies would receive in return was Pau's rookie younger brother Marc. Pau would help the Lakers reach the NBA finals every year since then, winning the NBA championship in the last 2 years. The Lakers already had a dominant 7 foot center in Andrew Bynum and thus were able to play Pau at power forward (for the brief periods of the season where Bynum is not injured). Many teams in the NBA do not have a true center and play a shot blocking power forward at center, as has often been the case in the career of such power forwards as Emeka Okafor who has been forced to play out of position at center his entire NBA career.
Two years ago Memphis acquired the talented yet troublesome Zach Randoph from the Knicks. Randolph quickly developed alongside Marc Gasol to help the Grizzlies almost make the playoffs last year. While not as dominant as the Lakers' frontcourt, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph comprised what was essentially the only other front court in the league with 2 centers playing the 4 and 5.
This year Memphis has been determined to make the playoffs. And for the first half of the year it seemed as if Gay, Randolph, Gasol, and their finally breaking out point guard Mike Conley were leading them to that goal.
But just before this year's trade deadline, Gay went down.
Rudy dislocated his shoulder so bad that it would require season ending surgery a few weeks later. At the trade deadline the Rockets, who had taken on a lot of salary over the last few years, decided to dump Battier's contract. The Grizzlies, with their sudden need for a new starting small forward, were eager to take him back. Immediately after the trade there was turmoil amongst the team and even a full on fight aboard the Grizzlies' plane. But the team rebounded from that experience to become closer and finish the season very strongly, nabbing the last playoff spot in the western conference. As the 8th seed, the Grizzlies were matched up in the 1st round of the playoffs against the team with the best record in the NBA, the devil's own boring ass San Antonio Spurs.
Tonight in game 1 of their playoff series, Gasol, Conley and Randolph gave great performances, and Shane Battier hit the game winning shot to beat the Goliath Spurs and give the Grizzlies their 1st ever playoff win.
Earlier today Battier's wife gave birth to their first daughter.
This is why I love the NBA, the stories.
It's my soap opera.
I love stories.
Stories are one of the reasons why I'm fascinated by history and politics. History particularly so. If you know the stories of history, you can understand and anticipate how the story will continue.

On a related note, heres a video of Uconn winning the NCAA tournament over Battier's Duke Uncle Toms in 1999

Just when they say you can't;
you can.

I Won the Internet

2011-03-09T01:06:00.001-05:00

After two weeks the Huffington Post's Justin Bieber-as-Politician Photoshop Contest has been scrolled off of the bottom of their comedy page by newer posts.

And at the end of this run the winner as selected by internet is non other than THIS GUY!

My McCain getting Beiber fever picture ran away with the top spot and my Christine O'Donnell Bieber was as high as 2nd place for a while but has currently slipped to 5th.

It appears that huff post did not deem my other two pictures worthy of consideration by the public. The Beiber waiving photo with McCain I understand cuz the humor of that photo was more in Beibers gate and I had to cut it off a bunch to make the proportions not overly off kilt. However I really like the Beiber nazi one. I could understand a claim that this could be found offensive. I would counter that this contest should certainly fall under the too ridiculous to be offended by category. I am home on that range to quote Joanna.

Thank you to any and all out there in the world who voted. Humor you can believe in.

biebers

2011-02-20T17:45:00.004-05:00

The Huffington Post is having a Justin-Bieber-As-Politician Photoshop Contest.
I thought I'd toss a couple in there:

Ventrillaquwissm Revelation

2011-01-26T18:55:00.002-05:00

My Favorite Albums of 2010!

2011-01-23T01:03:00.001-05:00

In alphabetical order by album title (not counting definite articles):

Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
The first 6 tracks of this album are a medley and they set the pace for this high energy tour around this indie-va's (new word?) vast musical influences. I saw a free outdoor show of her's this summer in Hartford with Sky and Mariclare, it was easily one of the best shows I saw all year.
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Black Dub - Black Dub
This group's debut proves theres still some fresh soul coming out of America. "Ring The Alarm" is a high energy jam that, while not quite the same pace as the rest of the album, was one of my favorite tracks of the year.
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Vampire Weekend - Contra
Could Vampire Weekend top their indie royalty anointing self titled debut? The answer in Contra is a resounding yes. Even the rampant licensing of their songs for commercial use couldn't damped this wonderful album for me (which I believe is a first).
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Aloe Blacc - Good Things
If this list had to be smaller, this album would still be on it. Blacc introduces himself to the world with a funky soulful explosion. He commits what is usually a musical no-no, covering a beloved song (The Velvet Underground and Nico's "Femme Fatale") but switching up the melody, Blacc however does not disappoint. For a great short film of some gorilla performances check out A Take Away Show, Part One and Part Two
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Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
One of the 5 albums on this list I discovered through working in the music section at Barnes and Noble. Local Natives sound like Animal Collective with the instruments of a standard 5 piece rock band rather than synthesizers. We play this album so often at work that today I found it off to the side with a note on it asking to please stop playing it and take it home, done.
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Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
Certainly in the mix for favorite album of the year, this opus is 3 discs of beauty. It's really amazing to me that Joanna Newsom has been able to outdo herself with every album. Also, Good Intentions Paving Company is essentially a perfect song.
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Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
If you had told me earlier this year that I would make a top ten albums list of 2010 and Drake would not be on it, but Kanye would, I would suggest that you have mistaken me for a fool. But as much as Drake's debut album Thank Me Later disappointed, Kanye's album appointed. While he may not have the lyrical prowess of Aesop Rock or Can-I-Bus, and the content of his lyrics can border on the absurd("no more drugs for me, pussy and religion is all I need"), Kanye is certainly one of the more clever lyricists out there today("I'm living in the future so the present is my past, my presence is a present, kiss my ass"). Combined with his ever improving self production skills, the result is the tightest hip hop album of the year. Still waiting for what should be a deservingly cool video for Monster.
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Ray Charles - Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters
This album of newly discovered tracks from Ray Charles opens up strong with the soul purging Loves Gonna Bite You Back. Listening to this album makes me realize how amazing it is that Ray can sing some sexually direct stuff very soulfully and smoothly. Wait till you hear him croon "WHY ARE WE TALKIN'? We should be GETTIN' IT ON!"
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Herons! - So Long!
The long awaited debut release from Herons! was released this fall, but I've had the privilege to listen to it for over a year now. I've had the greater privilege of being friends with all the lovely folks that make of this group including it's musical genius songwriter Benjamin Kritikos, one of the flappiest men I have ever known.
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Sia - We Are Born
This Australian indie-va takes her upbeat 21st century funky jazz-folk and rubs 70s disco all over it to create We Are Born. This is really just one of the happier albums I've heard in a long time.
"Oh how we fought, and still we won the fight"
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Honorable Mention

Here's the thing, I haven't actually ever heard this album. It came out in 2010 but I haven't been able to get my ears on it yet. However, judging from how much I love all three of their other albums I have no doubt that this one belongs on this list

Republic of Loose - Bounce at the Devil

My Favorite Songs of 2010

2010-12-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Oprah's "Favorite Things" I present:
My Favorite Songs of 2010!

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#5 Nicki Minaj featuring Eminem - Roman's Revenge

The energy of this song is undeniable to me. The excitement builds with the unrelenting beat. As shown by the many videos on Youtube of people dancing to this song. Eminem is back to his full absurd Slim Shady mode on this song and gets downright disgusting in the lyrics.
As ridiculous as his lyrics are he does spit them with the utmost TIGHTNESS.
"Go take a flying leap of faith off a f*cking balcony before I shove a falcon wing up your fly ass"
Also nice to see Nicki finally respond to Lil Kim's constant beef over Nicki taking the mantle as best female rapper alive (no contest). Nicki splashes just a couple lines throughout her album dissing Kim, but kills the debate
"So f*ck I look like gettin back to a has been?"
Nicki also does her part for redefining gender roles :)
"I am not Jasmin I am Aladdin"

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#4 Black Dub - Ring The Alarm

Off of one of the best albums of the year, which I got exposed to thanks to my job at Barnes and Noble's CD & DVD department.
The unrelenting rhythm and flow of this song is carried along by its only lyric,
"Ring the alarm! Another sound is dying"
taken from Tenor Saw's dub hit by the same name.
It's a reference to the theory that tinnitus or ringing in your ears is the dying response of auditory neurons. As in, if you hear a ringing in your ear, it's the last time you will ever hear that note again.

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#3 Kanye West featuring Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Bon Iver - Monster

Unquestionably the best hip-hop track of 2010.
If you have any ear for rap then you've got to love the pounding beat and the A-Game brought by Kanye and Nicki. Jay Z is his usual strong self but his verse doesn't compare to Kanye's career verse ("I'm livin' in the future so the present is my past. My presence is a present, kiss my ass") or Nicki's stream of schizophrenia which helped her become the year's big breakout star. For a first class verse from Jay Z check out Drake's Light Up ("Triple entendre, don't even ask me how. Con Edison flow, I'm connected to a high power")
I can wait for the eerie video for this song which has been previewed online to finally drop.

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#2 Ray Charles - Loves Gonna Bite You Back

This track is off of an album of previously unreleased Ray Charles material that came out this year. Another cd I got to listen to because of working in Barnes and Noble music. Ray Charles singing right to my soul from beyond the grave, what more is there to say.

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#1 Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Company

This song is everything I love about music all rolled into one. The piano's rhythm is subtle yet constant, the building of instruments, the crooning of Joanna's voice during the slower movements, and then the last minute or so of the song being just a kind of tribute to the work you just heard. It's the perfect song for when you're driving, on the subway, dancing, scrapbooking or whatever you may be doing. Full disclosure, I may be biased since she's my fiancee (Tho I havn't told her that yet).
From the Youtube comments for this video:
"I think if I were to die, at the ripe old age of 19, with this song playing, it would be okay."

Crazy By Choice

2010-12-06T22:00:00.010-05:00

I find it satisfying when I see a person walking around seemingly talking to themselves, then I think,
"Oh, they must be on a bluetooth headset or something"
Only then to realize that they are not.
They're just plain old crazy.

A throwback to the good ol' days when crazy meant crazy

This would be a good time to externalize an idea I've had ever since I moved to New York a few years ago, I call it "CBC"

Crazy By Choice

It is essentially when a person, who really has no business talking, yelling or grunting to themselves or others, partakes in such activities openly for one of two reasons.

Case 1 (less common) - The CBC desires increased attention.
One could see how acting crazy might bring you some attention, however as acting crazy attracts pretty much the last attention one would desire, this type of CBC is usually completely bonkers, longtime homeless, or some other type of undesirable who would otherwise be completely ignored save for their crazy behavior, quite a crazy paradox.

Case 2 (more common) - The CBC wants to be ignored.
This type of CBC was the reason I coined the term. Someone who just doesn't want to be bothered by the aggregation of people they are forced to interact with. While this is especially acute in the over cramped hustle and bustle of New York City, it is really the result of the alienation that permeates and eats away at our whole society in America. I first noticed it as a street canvasser in New York City where I had to attempt to make contact with everyone who passed me by on the street. While most people ignored me by pretending to be on the phone or listening to music or just too busy, the CBCs (mostly old men and women on the Upper West Side) would...well...do their CBC thang. They would rather have their fleeting correspondence be one of "okay I'm gonna leave this crazy person alone" that an actual human interaction.

To quote Kanye West "No more drugs for me, pussy and religion is all I need"
If you didn't get why that quote is relevant, maybe you're crazy and you should start acting like it!

And if I haven't driven you over the edge of madness yet, then this former A-list cast of stars singing Let It Be for Norwegian television surly will

I realize that this post may be offensive to crazy people.
If that is the case I apologize.
I myself am crazy.
And I've always been told it's okay to make fun of your own kind.
For example I can make Holocaust jokes
because my grandfather
was a Nazi

Saturday Night Live Steals My Joke!

2010-11-23T23:10:00.011-05:00

I am an aspiring comedian.
Albiet I may not have a lot of jokes written yet, but to see one of my few jokes stolen makes me wonder. How many degrees of separation are there between me and my blog where I posted a joke a few moths ago about cooking up a Walruphuckenakecargotbleick and the writers of the heralded comedy show Saturday Night Live which made an unfunny joke in an otherwise unfunny sketch utilizing my comedic brilliance? The video of the clip starring Bobby Moynihan on the 11/20/2010 edition of Weekend Update can be seen here

If you'd like to be refreshed on my joke, a videotaped version of it from a show on 3/27/2010 can be seen at the 3:00 minute mark of the video below

(Yes I do realize that at the 4:06 mark when I said "snake" I meant "snail", which should be made more obvious by my referring to it as escargot a moment later, but this is the only recorded version of this joke and Night of The Rabbit were kind enough to offer me drinks throughout this evening)
Now part of me thinks positively: am I that tapped into the pulse of American comedy? Am I within only a few degrees of separation of the writers of Saturday Night Live? Is the fact that Bobby Moynihan seemingly unnecessarily references a "Baby Cow" far too similar to my seemingly unnecessary inclusion of a "Baby Elephant or Dwarf Elephant" in my joke a dead giveaway of theft? What is the difference between a duck?
All of these questions lead me to believe that perhaps this is a sign of my road to the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor being easier than I thought.
But then another part of me fears: Are my jokes so dumb and predictable that they can be co-opted by people I've never interacted with? Are my jokes as quasi-funny and not worth the annuls of Saturday Night Live as that sketch so clearly is? Is the premise of making a joke about an even more ridiculous version of a turducken too easy? Do Zebras have striped penises?
These questions produce fear in me about my future in comedy. But luckily my trepidations are somewhat alleviated by remembering that at the end of the day, my comedy will always have places to go for I am ridiculous...as documented by the video below

I should post-script this post by noting that while I have ridiculed Saturday Night Live for their failure to achieve peak humor in the recent years the way they have in the past, I do feel like Saturday Night Live has been VERY FUNNY the last few years. Tho this year has been a little lacking particularly because of the heights reached in the last couple of years.

Ladies LOLler Derby

2010-11-17T15:22:00.003-05:00

I love 30 rock. It's the funniest series being made right now save for The Thick of It which is said to have another season being made soon. The writing wit of Tina Fey and impeccable character execution by the likes of Alec Baldwin Tracy Morgan and others make this weekly half hour nugget a downright LOLler derby

Tina Fey was recently awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Now there's an award to aspire for! The ceremony was LOLthazar

Watch the full episode. See more Mark Twain Prize.

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Mario Cuomo is the new Govorner of New York. And his partner the new "first lady" is Sandra Lee, a Food Network host who is probably the most ridiculous host of any such show I have ever seen. She calls her cooking style "Semi-Homemade" which paints the picture of a Martha Stewartesque transformation of some kitchen scraps into culinary gems using only ingenuity. However Lee is a bumbling moron with the cooking sensibilities of a 16 year old girl from Dallas (offense), who ends every show with Cocktail Time a celebration of her rampant alcoholism, so her vision of "Semi-Homemade" ends up turning into forced truck stop Ghetto Fabulousness .

Note that she is throwing a Thanksgiving party and yet she says "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year"

Oh Goodness!

Take Me Home Slow Loris!

E - no courage

2010-10-20T14:17:00.001-04:00

What's a Meta For?

2010-08-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

P*RG has a tradition in their canvass offices which they call "Hot Nights". A hot night is when a canvasser raises at least double their daily fundraising quota. The next morning they are recognized during the morning staff meeting and get to put some piece of construction paper cut into some themed shape with their name and fundraising total up on a fancy wall where the office's achievements are cataloged by an ever growing collage like they were in the 3rd grade.
Themes in the past have included little leaves to be put on an office tree, flames, little solar panels, rays of sunshine (F'realzies). And consistently being the most profitable office in the country, we grew and outgrew our collages fast.
One year I suggested we use this classic drawing about organizing

It worked pretty well and remained the permanent hot nights theme in our office from that point on. This is what it looked like on my last day at work

The theme caught on in P*RG offices around the country. Here's a shot of one of the IllinoisP*RG offices this summer

I think this hot nights wall is unintentionally a great metaphor for of the big flaws with the modern left:
There's the fish on the one side organizing to chase the big fish in the center that was chasing them, but hen there's ANOTHER group of organized fish on the other side also going for the big fish in the middle. They both seem equally fixated on the big fish and seemingly are ignoring each other. There seems to be no intent to work together nor to share the big fish. It seems like they're about to fight over it and most likely the big fish will get away.
And that's how a bill becomes a law.

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On another note, here is yet another amazing example of the brilliance of The Daily Show with John Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

[Get Out of There]

2010-08-19T23:39:00.000-04:00

BLOG???
Where have you been?
Ok, lets put that behind us.
I'm going to dump off a wonderful video montage that someone made in what approaches a semblance of historical documentation.

A thousand words worth of reasons why Brooklyn is the planet.

(Adrienne/Me/Jessca(sp?))

Buggy's Last Days

2010-08-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

We're gonna take Buggy for what very well may be his last veterinary appointment tomorrow. Just in case it is I made kabob tonight for all of us, which happens to also be the first thing both he and Tori ate in our house. I don't think they would have appreciated the awesome broccoli rabe I made tho so I didn't give them any of that.

Boy is it ever a weird pickle to deal with death.

I cannot express the degree of resentment and dislike that Tori has for Buggy right now. After being bullied around by buggy his whole life, he's now burdened by him. Buggy's near incontinence has meant sequestering for the dogs, which means Tori get's locked up too when no one's home. The general isolationism which has befallen the dogs since Buggy has gotten so sick has resulted in a lonelier world for Tori and he doesn't really understand why. But what is clear to see from their interactions is that Tori wants nothing to do with Buggy. If Buggy stomps over to the cushion or blanket Tori is sleeping on (as gracefully as a blind 18yr old dog with serious mobility issues can) he will more often than not be kept a few feet back with snarls and barking from Tori. The two of them have not shared a moment of joy or playing or anything other than quarrels in over a year since Buggy's mobility issues first arose.
And while it's clear that Tori is gonna have a more comfortable and relaxed life once Buggy is gone, and it's clear that Tori appears to feel nothing but anger and resentment towards Buggy, he's gonna miss him when he's gone.

Tori, you're gonna miss Buggy when he's gone.

Tilla Milatae Machiee

2010-07-09T02:45:00.000-04:00

In honor of Rusted Root finally bringing some good music to Stamford's Alive @ 5, Here's Omar Ipodriguez, Vermoutha Salt and Bob E Kielbasa presenting their tribute.

*****
And Here's pretty much the greatest video ever to grace internet:

Devious Stares at my Erection

2010-07-01T19:07:00.000-04:00

Omar Ipodriguez's tribute to Marcy Playground and their hit "Sex and Candy" (15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks!) soon to be played to an otherwise disaffected crowd at Stamford's Alive@5 concert.

SHPUNKEN

2010-06-30T01:19:00.000-04:00

Upon viewing the plants episode of the fantastic nature documentary series Life by the BBC

I've come to realize not only the amazing beauty and scope of the faunal reproductive process,
But also the simple fact that the vast majority of faunal reproduction is in fact a process of:
Party A publicly displays it's pollen, or SHPUNKEN
Party C saunters over to Party A, rubs all on it's biznass, and acquires said pollen(SHPUNKEN) as detritus on it's person, or on it's party, or whathavenots
Then Party C continues in it's pollen induced haze towards Party B, whom it rubs against furiously yet with apathetic nonchalance.
As a completely unintended side effect, the SHPUNKEN originating from Party A, which Party C has rubbed on Party B, has now pollinated Party B's bidnass and has produced a sexifyed vegan, locally grown, pesticide and hormone free offspring, namely Party D!
What I'm essentially trying to express is; run this sort of natural reproductive nonsense through your mind a few times and then try and tell me that the sweet glory of reproduction is still a sensible reason to vilify gay people

Stamford, CT or NOW That's What I Call the 90's!

2010-06-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

In honor of the Gin Blossoms and Soul Asylum playing at Stamford's Alive@5 concert series last week (which I wouldn't have been caught fatally wounded at).
My friend Omar Ipodriguez decided to record a cover of the Gin Blossoms' 1993 hit Until I fall Away (#13 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart!)

and also Soul Asylum's 1994 hit Runaway Train (Winner of the 1994 Grammy for Best Rock Song!)

I don't know why Stamford is so fond of inviting bands to come play in their summer concert series whose careers peaked in the mid-90's. This year is a little better, while Seven Mary Three and Marcy Playground will be Stamford's guests on July 1st, later weeks bring us Rusted Root, George Clinton and P-Funk, and the Beach Boys. Much better than last year's early 90's lineup of Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Fastball, etc.

Oh yeah, I live in Stamford now
(SHOTGUN!)

In The Kitchen - Part 1

2010-05-13T13:46:00.002-04:00

Wasteland

2010-05-04T17:04:00.001-04:00

An ode to giant metropolises by Dan Bern

The Credits Roll

2010-05-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

A film by my friend Henry.

If one stops looking, one finally sees...

2010-04-23T20:10:00.003-04:00

Put Yer Money Where Yer Moral$ Are

2010-04-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

I finally moved my money today.

I have long wanted to ensure that my money wouldn't be used to buy the credit default swaps and dangerous derivatives that tanked the world economy, its just that what little money I had in my Bank of America account was just kind of sitting there for the last few months. Well not so much sitting there, since they just can't help but to take it as often as possible. After closing my checking account a while back so it wouldn't be bled dry by their monthly fees, I got a notice saying that my savings account was roughly $60 over drawn. Mind you I hadn't taken any money out nor put any in for months. It turns out that, while the savings account has "no fees", if you only have a savings account then you have to have at least $200 in it or suffer a monthly fee. Of course I was not told of this eventuality when I closed my checking account. So my account was sucked empty until there was nothing left, and then the fees continued until my account was overdrawn (a weird term to use since I did no "withdrawing" since late last year). Once my account was "overdrawn" they then charged me an overdraft fee and then sent me the notice I mentioned earlier. I promptly called to find out what the F was happening and since they hadn't told me about the fees I got them to close my account and send me a check for the last positive sum before it was overdrawn, $2.34. Now that I have a new job starting on monday working for The Feds I figured I'd open a new account with the Fairfield Country Federal Credit Union. And boy am I glad to do it and not be aiding and abetting the inside job that screwed over so many in the last couple years and caused such hardship the world over.
On Earth Day 2010, just a few weeks after opening up our coastlines to further drilling for oil, Obama spoke in New York City on the need for basic banking regulations.
If Obama is unable to get regulatory reform of the banking industry passed, then this is the least I can do to distance myself from these greedy bastards.

America is an angry country. We are so quick to lash out at most any "enemy" that is pointed at by our leaders or the media. If you don't believe me just check out the Tea Party.

The Teabaggers have boundless anger at being taxed by our nigger president Obama despite the fact that he has cut taxes for 95% of Americans.
Ask the families of hundreds of thousands of dead innocent Iraqi civilians if Americans are willing to lash out at a perceived threat and see what they tell you. And yet, in the face of a crisis that has wrought havoc on the world economy and the lives of most people in America everyday, most people in America are remiss to show anger towards the people responsible. As for doing some part to ruin the ordinary lives of Americans, nothing in the last 50 years has come close to doing the damage of our current economic crisis. And this is a crisis with clear villains. Very straightforward fingers to be pointed along a clearly left behind paper trail (For a not so clearly paper-trailed, yet jarring and scary example, click on the words "inside job" above). But there is little demand for these peoples' heads, little demand for accountability. Where are the people with "Don't Tread On Me" flags marching on Wall St.? Much of that is likely owed to a few key factors. Primarily, the groups we are dealing with have an incredible capacity to lobby our lawmakers and of course they have long had a foothold in our media. Take one of the biggest players in this crisis, Goldman Sachs. They are the largest campaign contributor (to BOTH parties), and you don't even want to know how many key figures in government worked for them (not least vital of which being both Obama's and Bush's treasury secretaries). But of course the most frightening fact of all is that it appears that almost all of the insane gambling that caused this crisis (click on "credit default swaps and dangerous derivatives that tanked the world economy" above) was legal!
Immoral of course, but legal.
So if Obama can't pass regulatory reform, which will surely be met by our Teabagging brethren letting out a sigh of relief in the realization of their nostalgia for a time when white presidents didn't legislate morality upon the dangerously immoral, MOVE YOUR GODDAMNED MONEY!

Jack White

2010-04-07T22:25:00.001-04:00

A sight not seen for a decade...MY CHIN!

Also the mustache is a sight only seen for a few months of 2004, certainly never seen without the beard. I apologize for the look on my face, I was doing an impersonation of a friend of mine who I reminded myself of once I had shaved. I am truly sorry for my look of joyful astonishment.

Sometimes you eat the kid, and sometimes the kid eats you

2010-03-30T23:43:00.000-04:00

Walruphuckenakecargotbleick

2010-03-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

Sky Rock

2010-03-26T20:50:00.003-04:00

I'm so blessed to have spent good time with my family and the friends I love in my short life I have met so many people I deeply care for.

2010-03-25T11:42:00.004-04:00

Do What You Can

2010-03-03T13:17:00.006-05:00

Last night I saw Sarah Palin on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Later that night I dreamt that I was the other guest on the show and kept replaying in my mind the meeting between us in the green room. I don't remember too much more from the dream other than at one point I smothered her to death with a pillow. Her folksy conservatism is so frightening. I picture all the fools watching her while cleaning their assault rifles with their shroud of turin replica shammies and saying how much she speaks to their values so plain spokenly. Just terrifying.
I need an amazing video of doggies to get my mind off of this.

Whew!
Now to further distance my mind, lets talk about that non-local sports team...
I hate the San Antonio Spurs.
I hate them for many reasons, not least of which is the boring dominance of Tim "The Big Fundamental" Duncan.
But I think the player who solidified my hatred of them was Bruce Bowen. Bowen will always be remembered for his "defense". And while he was tenacious in covering whatever high scoring star they put him on, I think that he crossed many a line in his time in the NBA. Bowen not only tried to stop these stars from scoring, but also seemed intent on taking them out of the game, possibly permanently. As the video below shows, Bowen was always willing to stick his foot under a player as they were coming down in the hopes of rolling the players' ankle, or kneeing someone in the balls, or what the hey, doing a leaping jump kick into a players face. And not only was he payed millions to do it, but the Spurs won 4 championships in the last decade and no one thought to maybe press assault charges against this lunatic.

And now for a third topic, I'd like to talk about Soul Plane...

Less Than Perfect Storm

2010-02-26T15:35:00.005-05:00

In case you don't follow the news, it's snowing in the northeast US. Yes thats not only the top story, but its also pretty much taking up the ENTIRETY of all the newscasts today. As absurd as the local media can be, its really amazing that they can spend so much time covering something that they could have basically summed up with "look outside, see that foot of white stuff, well it's gonna keep coming for the rest of the day, be ready: moving on to the decade long war in the Congo that has taken over 4 million lives..."
I only watched the news because NY Governor David Patterson had just succumbed to over a year of pressure and mudslinging from his own Democratic party and announced that he would be dropping his re-election bid. After 24 minutes of snow "coverage", they spent about 33 seconds on the Patterson story before closing the show with a few minutes of recapping the previous night's Olympic results. They literally spent about 3 times as much time talking about the previous night's women's figure skating bronze medalist than they did talking about the capitulation of the Governor of New York, which had JUST HAPPENED. You know what they used to call important things that had just happened back in the good ol' days? NEWS!

Needless to say, waking up this morning the driveway had to be shoveled. My mom had to leave for work and my octogenarian strongman uncle had been out in the driveway already attempting to clean the area around my mom's car. I went out and realized that while the snow was very powdery and likely easy to scoop away, stepping on it compacted it quite effectively and made it exceedingly more difficult to shovel. My uncle had walked several times back and forth from the door to my mom's car, compacting the walkway, and then was walking circles around her car attempting to rub the ice off of the windshield with his hands, not wanting to use a tool that might scratch the windshield. I realized that I would have to immediately take over if this job was not going to continue to be made more and more difficult as he compacted more and more of the snow. Prying the shovel from him proved to be a very difficult task, as anyone familiar with the Iranian mannerism of Tarof would understand. When I did get the shovel and began working I confirmed my fears about the difficulty of shoveling the packed snow and likewise the ease of shoveling the unpacked snow. When my mom asked me to start her car and allow it to heat up I knew I had little time before the entire driveway would be marred by two lines of snow packed by the car's tires.
I'll break from this tale for a moment now.
Please enjoy the pregnant man.

One of my main concerns this year has been my health and weight. Taking a load of my fanny if you will. According to the digital scale at my mom's house I've lost 30 pounds this year, although according to the upright "doctor's office style" scale at the gym I've lost 50 pounds. While I would tend to consider a computer more fallible than the doctors office style, I don't trust the bastards at my gym as far as I can throw their 'roided up asses. I digress. I bring this up because I have found myself weighing myself often, often several times a day for no particular reason other than to see the crazy fluctuations in weight that happen throughout the day. So for some reason I had weighed myself just before heading out to shovel. And knowing I didn't have long before my mom rolled through the driveway and made my job much harder, I started shoveling like I was digging someone out of an avalanche.

I cleared the entire driveway in 10 minutes. It took me another 10 minutes just to clear the walkway which had been packed down by walking. When I came back inside dripping with sweat I weighed myself again. I had lost almost 3 pounds!
!!!!!BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
It's still snowing

Why?

2010-02-25T11:49:00.004-05:00

While listening to a radio discussion about science and religion I found out that in the Tamil language there are 2 different words for "why?"
One references causation.
The other references purpose.

I love Dawkins' take on purpose. It's similar to his ideas on natural beauty. That is to say he is often hit with criticisms about atheism restricting his capacity for joy. If everything can be broken down and explained, then where is the joy in living? What he and I see as more accurate is that the very externalization of things like purpose and natural beauty to an Other is what threatens joy in life.
"Atheism is not a recipe for despair. I think the opposite. By disclaiming the idea of a next life, we can take more excitement in this one. The here and now is not something to be endured before eternal bliss or damnation. The here and now is all we have; an inspiration to make the most of it. So atheism is life-affirming, in a way religion can never be. Look around you. Nature demands our attention; begs us to explore; to question. Religion can provide only facile, ultimately unsatisfying answers. Science, in constantly seeking real explanations, reveals the true majesty of our world in all its complexity...We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die, because they are never going to be born. The number of people who could be here in my place outnumbers the sand grains of Sahara. If you think about all the different ways our genes could be permuted, you and I are quite grotesquely lucky to be here: the number of events that had to happen in order for you to exist, in order for me to exist. We are privileged to be alive and we should make the most of our time on this world."

Idlewild

2009-12-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

So here it is.
2010 is coming.
The air smells ominous.
We blinked, got gassed up on hope and the next thing you know it’s the dawn of a new decade.
2010
Twenty-ten
The second half is half of the first half.
The 2nd ½ is ½ of the 1st ½.
In preparation for what is shaping up to be “the yea” (MA accent)
I’m taking some steps. Making some changes. Summing some summations.
One ever notable one is that as of today I am in possession of a computer with a fully functional keyboard. No more copying and pasting non-operational keys like my Ms, Ss, and periods from other portions of the screen or from the alphabet notepad file on my desktop. Also strange and unfamiliar to me is that the screen on this laptop stays up on its own, unlike the one I had been using for the last year. At first my old laptop’s screen would only stay upright if you found one of its two sweet spots. As of a couple months ago the screen would collapse back of forth unless it was propped in place, usually with a pen. While this new machine operates manifestly slower, having a functional keyboard is a necessary trade off for the time being. My hope and aspiration is that it lends itself to much more regular writing on my part and also accelerates my ability to find a new job.
I am also starting a new low calorie and low carbohydrate diet. It’s planned out by doctors (namely my “coach”, my aunt Farideh). The majority of my food intake will consists of 5 servings of pre-ordered food such as shakes, bars, and whathaveyous. In addition there is one other meal per day which should be “Lean and Green” and very calorie and carbohydrate restricted. Thus I will be essentially giving up the sauce so long as I am on this plan. This is another big change which will no doubt improve my life, I have ordered a months supply of the food and will begin most likely next Monday after I’ve picked up the package which is waiting at my mom’s house in Stamford.
I’ve coupled this diet with a new gym membership. Two great things about the Chelsea Recreation Center are its proximity to my place (3 blocks away) and the price ($75 for the whole year). The gym is very bare bones and will likely often be crowded, but I have a secret weapon to help me. I purchased an SD card and reader for my phone, along with headphones that fit the proprietary jack verizon has so kindly installed on it. With these tools I have made an mp3 player of my phone. Already I have found myself doing sit-ups, crunches, and push-ups in my room while wearing the earplugs.
While it may not be the theme for 2010, the theme for the time being is most certainly “grit”.
Chop wood.
Carry water.

The Thrilling Threats, Fears and Lies of the Midterm Election Primary

2009-09-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

I've been working for Doug "Biv Against the Machine" Biviano, who is running for City Council in Brooklyn's 33rd district. Saturday morning I was headed to the office in Brooklyn to get ready for an 11 am press conference where Congressman Dennis Kucinich would be endorsing Doug's City Council run...A big deal for me and for a campaign fighting to build momentum in its last hours(As I write this I'm overcome by the thought that I should be trying to sleep instead as polls open in less than 8 hours!)
I left my apartment in Manhattan a bit later than I had hoped (I usually give myself an hour for the 20-40 minute sojourn). My (YELLOW) elevated level of fear of being late reached an (ORANGE) heightened level when I got to the train station and realized that the 2 and 3 express train which I desired was running local! OB VI OUSLY! Because its a de facto rule in nyc these days that the train schedules will be jived up in some way on the weekends. This is a point which has particularly bothered me since every job I've had in the city has included weekends...fnugh.
Just before the now local 2 train I was riding on reached 14th street the train came to an all stop in the middle of the tunnel. After a moment the conductor announced the standard response to being told to stop "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are being delayed due to train traffic ahead of us, please be patient, we will be moving shortly" which could and does apply to anything. No real cause for greater worry, until a few minutes passed and the conductor repeated his announcement. Then again a few minutes later. Finally, after about 15 or 20 minutes, the conductor gave us the bit more slender skinny that "We are being held because there is a stalled train at 14th Street, we will be moving as soon as it is cleared". While moans and groans were abound, there wasn't much panic because at least we've been given a slightly clearer picture of what is actually happening. The conductor repeated his announcement every few minutes, but there was still no cause for raising lateness fears to (RED) severe levels: until the conductor made an almost identical announcement with the addition of a well annunciated "INDEFINITELY" (picture some threatening bit of happening on the bridge of the Enterprise and Commander Riker shouting "shields up, red alert!). Just after I was able to get off a text warning that I would likely be late, the train starts to move.
We arrived at 14th street to a mad loading and unloading of passengers. Mildly relieved but still running late on a local train (lateness fear levels down to ORANGE) I began to do the only thing I could do to rectify my situation...attempt to will the train to become express with my mind. Just as I thought to myself that this wish was not even an entirely selfish one, as this train becoming express would likely alleviate some of what must be an immensely thrown off schedule after an almost half hour lag in train activity, the conductor announced "due to the delay reaching 14th street this train will be making express stops only". Being that I had just gotten what I needed and I had potentially willed the change myself, I let out a mildly inappropriatly loud Ric Flair like "WOO!".
Although the Lateness Fear Advisory System (L.F.A.S.) was down to YELLOW. The event that immediately followed would rocket the Holy Shit Advisory System (H.S.A.S.) level to a deep MAHOGANY.
Moments after my "WOO!", the man sitting directly across from me screamed "NOOOOO!", jolted up into the aisle between the subway doors, kicked one of the the doors shattering the glass, fiercely sat back down, pointed to me and screamed "FUCK YOU!". The other passengers and I tensely sat in silence, having all clearly "seen something" but collectively refusing to "say something", for what would prove to be a long slow ride from 14th street passed all the local stops to Chambers street where Osama Been-Ragin' deboarded.
I arrived at the office moments after the press conference ended, though at that point I didn't mind all that much, glad to have arrived at all.
------------------------------
One of the front runners in the City Council race is the teenage looking Stephen Levin. He is the most glaring example of what Doug Biviano calls the "Machine Candidates" in that he is the candidate (and chief of staff) of corrupt Democratic party boss Vito Lopez of the NY State Assembly. Despite Lopez's assembly district only overlapping the 33rd City Council district by a mere sliver, Lopez is intent on Levin taking the seat.
This is Levin's latest piece of campaign literature.

At the top it "quotes" the New York Times as saying "Stephen Levin is a 'Prime Candidate' for City Council". The problem with this assertion is that it directly misrepresents the actual quote from the New York Times which read "Stephen Levin WOULD BE a prime candidate for City Council EXCEPT for his entanglement in the Brooklyn Democratic machine". To quote Benjamin Disraeli, "What a fucknut". Levin sent out the mailing this weekend so that there wouldn't be enough time for rivals to notice and discredit him. The Daily News picked up our press release about it, but I fear the mailing has done its damage.
------------------------------
Now I'm off to sleep.
Tomorrow I'm going to be outside the polls at PS-8 in Brooklyn Heights from 10 am - 9pm, then back to the office for a (victory?) party.
Then I'm going with Celeste (who got me the job on the campaign to begin with) to see The Roots play their weekly Tuesday night show at the Highline Ballroom at midnight.
------------------------------
sleep

Frankie Goes to Williamsburg

2009-09-08T00:46:00.000-04:00

SETTING: Out with some friends of mine on quite a night of bowling, dancing, and a'drinkin'.

PROLOGUE: We leave the bowling alley and head for a bar called Hugs. After some shenanigans we get on the dance floor in the rear part of the bar. The group of friends has been dancing in a little boogie circle on the edge of the dance floor.

ACT I:

Celeste: Is this a gay bar?

Norm: I don't think so.

Celeste: Are you sure?

Norm begins slowly turning his gaze around the room while still at half boogie. He notices that in fact, other than their party, the only people in the bar were gay couples. The realization washes over him in a long drawn out instant where the sight of each successive couple he sees as he pans blasts him in an almost comical '80s movie kind of way. Like it isn't happening to him, but rather Steve Guttenberg or John Stamos.

Norm: Absolutely not.

Norm goes to the bathroom where he notices

(I definitely need to tell you something.
You look like a tranny and not in a good way...)

END

Socialized Menacin'

2009-09-03T23:39:00.000-04:00

Today I witnessed a new New York City breed of ambulance chaser. A man was waiting in his car behind an ambulance, stopped with sirens blaring, evidently waiting for it to leave so he could take the parking space it was in front of.
----------------------
The Polyphonic Spree's current tour is ENTIRELY FREE! They're going through Boston, NJ, Dallas and New York. I reserved my 2 free tickets online for their New York show. I saw them 2 years ago in brooklyn and it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. I went with a girl, after the show she commented that i was "happier tonight than she's ever seen me before". I have been strongly recommending to everyone in the select cities to go see this wonderful and uplifting show.
----------------------
A true Moment of Zen

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Moment of Zen - Coulter Sells More Books

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

Or perhaps even a M.O.G.
----------------------
I purchased David Cross's new book I Drink For a Reason for a total of 86 cents after coupons and gift cards. I'm only about 10 pages in, but it's already the funniest example of the written word mine eyes have come across. I've already laughed out loud (Lol'ed) several times on the subway.
"Tossing a thing you don't want or no longer desire to the curb is not really that bad if it's biodegradable, which a baby is, I guess; but come on now-let's apply some standards"
----------------------
While waiting outside of a store the other day a dragonfly landed on my friend Lindsey. It stayed right there for quite a while and actually looked intentional. It gave me an idea for a new animal rights campaign:

Pity POP

2009-08-31T23:59:00.000-04:00

There's this Blackberry commercial that features U2 performing some song that quite unfortunatley is seared into my brain due to it's incessant repetition on TV and even the internet. It starts out "every generation has a chance to change the world..." and finishes with "...I'm gonna go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight".
This begs a few questions:
1)Have I gone crazy?
2)Why havn't I blown up the world yet?
3)Exactly what do Blackberries have to do with saving the world?
4)How many Bonos does it take to screw in a light bulb (1 to hold it, and the world to revolve around him)
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooooooooooo!
--------------------
How can a movie as bad as The Postman have something as brilliant as that cameo by Tom Petty as himself?
--------------------

The best named store in America. Norwalk, CT's own Bob's Unpainted Furniture Gun Exchange
--------------------
In a nod to the era of Autotune, Merriam-Webster has officially changed the word "Shorty" to the three word phrase "Sho-Ta-Ie"
--------------------
Speaking of sho-ta-ie. I saw this kid Justin Bieber performing at the annual Arthur Ashe kids day event the day before the US Open. He's evidently "Usher's protege", a 12 year old white boy who repeatedly says sho-ta-ie in his song. Every time he said it I thought he should be lynched.
--------------------
Some Brooklyn based band names: Shoe Lace, Water Balloon, Salad Tong, Birthday Card, Pearl Cream, Damp Cloth, Rubber Stamp, Ugly Tire, Happy Teeth, Desktop Fear, Morose Germans, Paper Clip and Cleanup in Ilse Thrive
--------------------
Just saw a Daily News headline "Jon Gosselin's girlfriend 'Hailey Glassman' is looking for a new man on Match.com".....sorry everyone, we've gone too far, get your affairs in order, I have to blow up the world now.
--------------------

The Grabbing Hands

2009-08-28T23:34:00.000-04:00

Every few days I get a little extra disgusted by the way that the current "debate" in American politics over healthcare has been turning out. The Democrats have super majorities in the House and Senate, and have an incredibly popular and publicly persuasive president (unintentional alliteration of the year award?). And yet they're still unable to even stand some sort of ground on getting every American health care, or even at least a cheaper public option. The lobbying thats going on over this healthcare bill is mind blowing. Literally hundreds of healthcare industry lobbyists are in Washington EVERYDAY trying to insure that we don't make the leap that every other western democracy in the world has to making the healthcare of our citizens a moral and civil obligation of the government.
Where would our country be today if in the time of so many historical pieces of legislation in our past there was the type of influence of money and power from groups whose interests so strongly oppose the public interest? I'm certain black and women's rights would have come along much slower. I doubt very much that we would have social security or medicare.

Socialized medicine will kill us all, your money belongs in your pocket, not helping to keep some old hag away from Sarah Palin's Death Panel
But by all means use my money to fund the NFL and Major League Baseball (and use our money/waste Congress' time investigating weather they used performance enhancing drugs)
You don't want a bureaucrat between you and your doctor, someone from your insurance company or HMO is good enough.
Oh enough with my multiple sargasms....take it away Gipper...

"between you and me....I hate politics" -Dan Bern

Can I Fly?

2009-08-27T00:58:00.000-04:00

I have a 2 year old nephew named Arian who comes up from Dallas to visit my mom fairly often with his grandmother, my aunt Ziba. A few weeks ago I decided to show Arian a fun time and I picked him up and carried him "flying" around the house and yard. I immediately realized the monster I had created when I put him down. He had no sooner hit the ground than he was jumping back up, arms outstretched, pleading with me "can I fly?" "can I fly?". Knowing Arian's language as I do, I understood that he was not asking if he really could fly, but rather was asking me to help him fly once more. So being one who is always inclined to bring joy to those who seek it, I picked him up again and flew him around some more. This time when I put him down I found that picking up a 2 year old and running around the house and up and down stairs can be quite tiring for my out of shape self. While I was inclined to rest at least for a little while, Arian's response was simply "can I fly?" "can I fly Normyyy?". I never found a way to properly distract him post flight so as to not leave him always wanting more. What I have found though is an instructive opportunity, a teachable moment if you will in these requests. Arian is at the age where gifts are lavished upon him, especially while he is here in the northeast visiting family. The other evening he returned home from my aunt's house with a little pink stuffed dog that my aunt had given him. The dog had a shirt with a peace symbol on it. I took this opportunity to attempt to teach Arian what the symbol was and what "peace" meant. Furthermore I taught him what the two fingered peace sign is and tried to show him how to do it. It was of course not easy (picture the average person attempting the vulcan "live long and prosper" salute). I decided that night that it would be my mission to teach Arian this hand gesture and pictured him taking it back to Texas with him and helping to save the world. My ingenious plan is this: every time Arian exclaims "can I fly?" I respond with "show me the peace sign" and I retrain him to flash the symbol and say "PEEEETH!". Progress is slow, but I give it another 24 hours before he's a regular Cindy Sheehan at the rate he goes. I believe, that he believes, that he can touch the sky!

We Will Get What We Want

2009-08-21T01:49:00.000-04:00

We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want We Will Get What We Want

Globo Warning?

2009-08-19T23:47:00.001-04:00

The Reverend Billy is running for mayor of New York City and has my official endorsement (I'm also giving him a "thumbs up" at this very moment but it doesn't come through as well in text).
VoteRevBilly.org

VoteRevBilly.org
Spent a bit of time today with a lot of the folks from The Company that I haven't seen since I left. Various levels of alienation from them, some just "acted like they don't know"; forgetting perhaps that I have always advocated a firm "act like ya know" policy
'Round this time last week a wave was carrying my body and crashing it down upon and elderly swimming suit clad lady. Quite an interesting metaphor.
"Metaphors are not to be trifled with. A single metaphor can give birth to love"
Love has been gnawing at me like I was seared in garlic for quite a bit now. Such a fascinating game it is to play, just when the dark clouds seem to part, they reveal the mountains.
elpoep tsom naht retteb sgniht tsom
Of the many whatnotppenstances that living in New York City has helped me to understypher, one of my favorites has to be the following situation; when a brief interaction you have with a stranger is so real, that the person is compelled to say goodbye when it's over.

'Round this time last week I was skinnydipping in the ocean off Montauk under a beautiful star-filled night's sky. My friend Tim noticed that there were glowing blue dots in the water around us that seemed more than just reflections of the many stars. We soon realized that we were swimming amongst tiny bioluminescent life forms that glowed blue when disturbed. My experience of existence was so dense at that moment; nude in the water, the strength and fury of the waves bouncing and tossing my body, and the microscopic beings that let their existence be known to the world because of my presence. Glowing there in the water I remembered how life is for the living.
Without me you are nothing.

[spam] Interesting and painful Message

2009-05-21T19:34:00.000-04:00

WHY AM I SO FASCINATED BY THESE SPAM SCAMS???!!!?!?!?!!!
In light of my last post I thought I should also share this lovely spam scam I received as well, as it has some great examples of the aforementioned hilarious translation related misspellings, eg. "my cry and prayers has rise smokely to God".
If anyone is at all as interested in these scams as I am then I strongly recommend listening to this episode of This American Life featuring a group of scam-baiters who did some remarkable things to these scammers
______________________________________________________

Interesting and painful Message

May the maker of heaven and earth grant you the willing spirit to digest this important request of mine though you might find it difficult to believe me but it is only God that will speak to you as my cry and prayers has rise smokely to God to assist me in sourcing for a good reputable person to assist me in this ailing situation.

Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you.
I must not hesitate to confide in you for this simple and sincere proposition.

I am Samanta Tanoh by name 19yrs of age and the daughter and only child of the late Dr. Brendan Tanoh a very wealthy cocoa merchant and competent business man here in Abidjan, the economic capital of Cote D'Ivoire formally known as Ivory coast.

My father was poisoned to death by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip.
My lovely mother died when I was still 2yrs and since then my father took me so special as his survival dependent.

Before the death of my father in August 2006 in a private hospital herein Abidjan he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of (Eleven Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars)USD$11.500,000 deposited in one of the famous Banks here in Abidjan Cote D'Ivoire, that he used my name as his only child for the next of Kin in depositing the funds.
He also explained to me that it was because of this funds that he was poisoned by his business associates.
That I should seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purposes, such as real estate management or hotel management.

I am humbly seeking for your assistance in the following ways: (i)To contact the Bank and request for the release of the funds to you as my late parents family friend abroad.
(ii)To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am only 19 yrs old.
(iii)To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education and to secure a resident permit in your country.

Moreover, I am willing to offer you 20% of the total sum as compensation
for your effort/input after the successful transfer of this funds to you
in your country.

Furthermore, you indicate your options towards assisting me as I believe
that this transaction would be concluded within fourteen (14) days you
should signify your interest to assist me.. Anticipating to hear from you soon.
Due to my present condition and the confidentiality of this matter
please reply to me immediately.
Thanks and God bless.
Best regards,
Miss. Samantha Tanoh

[spam] ExxonMobil Promotions ATTN: WINNER

2009-05-21T19:12:00.000-04:00

What I love about this little bit of spam scam is that it supposedly comes from ExxonMobil and among the personal information they ask for are my "remarks about ExxonMobil", maybe this is a way to bait left wingers into responding.
Also, it is devoid of the usual hilarious translation related misspellings....until they refer to me as one of their "luckly winners" and sign off as an "Online Co-ordinator"
________________________________________________________

Menara ExxonMobil
Kuala Lumpur City Center
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
PHONE: +60.103.732.2721

This is to inform you that ExxonMobil Oil Company, Malaysia has awarded you
the sum of $1,000,000 USD. This email is randomly sent to 10 people
worldwide. Your verification number is: (EM2009-10/6) Please
Understand that this promotion is Neither a Lottery nor a Gambling
Winning. To file claims, please contact the claims processing officer
on the email or phone number provided below:

CLAIMS PROCESSING OFFICER:
Mr. Adil Fatin
EMAIL: exxonmobilpromo1@yahoo.com.hk
Phone: +60.103.732.2721

You are also advised to provide him with:

NAME IN FULL:
CONTACT ADDRESS:
AGE:
NATIONALITY:
OCCUPATION:
PHONE:
FAX:
MOBILE:
SEX (M/F):
ANNUAL INCOME:
REMARKS ABOUT EXXON MOBIL:

We are glad to have you as one of our luckly winners.

Yours Sincerely,
Online Co-ordinator..

doing my part

2009-05-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

I was on a train from NYC to Stamford yesterday and there were a bunch of businessmen talking across rows and aisles. They were engaged in a boisterous conversation about Dancing With the Stars. They kept talking about this person and that person and every few minutes they would either comment on how gay one of the contestants are or make a gay joke about one another. I was sitting about 3 rows ahead of them and after about 20 minutes I yelled out "You guys sure do toss the word gay around an awful lot for a bunch of grown men discussing Dancing With the Stars". There was laughter.

think ALBUM

2009-03-30T01:08:00.000-04:00

painting by Sky Thompson

My Top 15 Albums
Because shazam

I tried to think ALBUM and not songs

I am offended by the things I have left off of this list

In alphabetical order by album title

Mos Def - Black on Both Sides (honorable mention to the Blackstar album)

Manu Chao - Clandestino

Bob Dylan - Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (keepin' it to 1 per artist since I've only got 15 to work with here)

Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet

William Ackerman - In Search of the Turtle's Navel

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane over the Sea

The Strokes - Is This It (/all of their albums)

Radiohead - Kid A (I would honestly put all of their albums except Pablo Honey on any proper list of my favorites)

Black Crowes - Lions

Kila - Live in Dublin (barely beats Lemonade and Buns)

The Clash - London Calling

Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion (another tough one)

Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy

Cornershop - When I was Born For the 7th Time

Joanna Newsome - Ys (this is a wash I love Milk Eyed Mender equally but Sawdust and Diamonds on Ys is my favorite song so that gets the official selection of the committee despite early commitment to think ALBUM)

The Best Thing I've Ever Done

2009-03-28T02:05:00.000-04:00

1 year ago today
My brother Sam asked me to lift him up on my shoulders

One year ago today my blood stem cells were transplanted into my brother Sam, in the hopes of regenerating healthy cancer free bone marrow, to rid him of the T-Cell Lymphoma that had been ominously threatening his life.
There were certainly times where the unnerving possibilities were demoralizing and grim. But alas, the procedure was a success, and with the help of the amazing oncology team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Sam has been making a full recovery. Today Sam (who wrote about the entire ordeal on his blog) is busy planning his wedding and completing the hand surgery fellowship in Pittsburgh that he had to leave behind after he was re-diagnosed 2 years ago.
One year ago today I helped save my brother's life,
And it was the best thing I've ever done

CONFESSION - non-consensual post-modern individualized culture jamming experiment

2009-03-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

I, Nariman Moghtaderi, created the Salmun Kazerounian Facebook account.
This was done without his consent.
He has since expressed a facebook phobia and the account has been deactivated.
I meant no ill will this internetinal conception, it was nothing more than a non-consensual post-modern individualized culture jamming experiment.
Salmun wishes to apologize to any who may have been adversely effected by his appearance and disappearance from the facebook annuls.
To all those who wish to contact him, feel free to do so via his gmail.

Thank You

God bless you

And may God bless the United States of America

SHOCK - WebWedding, Attack Ads, Colbert and Mormon Basketball

2009-03-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

________________________________________________

My brother Sam made a nice website for his wedding.
This is quite literally the least shocking thing I've ever heard
wedding.moghtaderi.org

________________________________________________

I'm at my mom's house and the TV is on CNN (we watched Obama's press conference about a half hour ago) And I found what came on shocking.
An attack ad!
Less than 100 days into the new administration, almost 2 years from any substantive election, and already an ATTACK AD!!%@%#??@^!!!!!!

The ad is called SHOCKED and it was paid for by a group called the American Issues Project, a right wing group created by Harold Simmons (founding member of one of the finest organizations in US history, Swiftboat Veterans for Truth). Simmons was the lone financier of the AIP when it ran ads attacking Obama for his links to Weatherman Bill Ayers. These attack ads were themselves attacked by the associated press for their questionable "facts" and illegality...oh yeah, American Issues Project is registered as a 501c4 and thus not allowed to do partisan electoral politicking, but alas, if your not very concerned with the truth, you probably don't give a toss about the law?
I just attack their morals. There's really no point to being so divisive at this time in the political cycle. This trend is a bit frightening to me. Are we in for a 24/7/365ization of the smearing (and anointing) of politicians et al? THE WORLD TODAY! HELL IN A HAND BASKET I TELL YA!

________________________________________________

Speaking of anointing...another victory for Stephen Colbert!
NASA conducted a poll to determine the name of a new node of the International Space Station, and the winner is..."Colbert"!
According to NASA the poll was not intended to be the final word on what the name will be, but rather to aid a naming committee that will make its determination in April. They say they will almost definitely name SOMETHING on the ISS after Colbert, but perhaps only a toilet...PATAH!
This is the biggest Colbert related naming sham since Hungary switched the rules of the naming contest for their new bridge over the Danube so that only deceased people could win. Colbert is however supposed to have his DNA included in the space station's Immortality Drive archive of human DNA.
I guess Stephen will have to make due with the spider species named after him Aptostichus Stephencolberti.

He was named this after he complained about the Myrmekiaphila Neilyoungi on his show.
________________________________________________

My friend Sean noted last spring that he hates the Utah Jazz because he doesn't want the Mormons to be happy.
I agree with him.
Even though they have AK-47

Andrei Kirilenko, the scrawny Russian defensive menace.
Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (not on the Jazz) may be the oldest player in the NBA, but he's not entirely positive when he was born, making him 44ish.

WEEEEEEEEEYOOOOOOOOUU

2009-03-13T21:26:00.000-04:00

And I you

"Norm, You're a C*%T But We Love You" - Jenny, Ben, Aidan, and Alyanya

Is Jon Stewart Gonna Have to Choke a Bitch?

2009-03-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

It started with this brilliant clip from the Daily Show last week where Jon Stewart rips CNBC to shreds for being so wrong leading up to the financial crisis.
CNBC's Rick Santelli had declared his disgust over Obama giving money to bail out people who couldn't pay their mortgages. The ridiculous hypocrisy in Santelli's stance (bailing out individuals that have made bad decisions is abhorrent, yet multi-billion dollar bailouts for corporations that consistently were mismanaged and swindling is fine) annoyed Stewart and he was invited on the Daily Show to talk about it. This clip is from the show he was to appear on.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

This launched a bit of a feud between Stewart and CNBCs most famous face Jim "Mad Money" Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

In Cramer We Trust

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Trying to save the reputation of the network Cramer came on the daily show last night, the discussion took up the whole show was one the greatest ass kickings I've ever seen. The full interviews went on for much longer than expected, so linked below is not the full episode, but rather the complete unedited interview.
!!!THIS IS GOOD STUFF!!!
Part 1

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Part 2

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Part 3

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Even more impressive than this classic clip where Stewart tears up Tucker Carlson and the CNN punditry in 2004

Jori displays the bows

2009-03-01T23:41:00.000-05:00

Bending the Field

2009-03-01T23:36:00.001-05:00

Bending the Field
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Anger

2009-03-01T23:35:00.001-05:00

No Horn Blowing Except for Anger
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Travis the Chimp

2009-02-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

Stamford, CT's own Travis the Chimpanzee has been shot dead after flipping out and attacking his owner's family friend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/nyregion/17chimp.html
I remember the 2nd floor window of the body shop he used to hang out at. I only ever saw him twice, the first time being when I was getting the car worked on down the street and was just taking a walk, I notice a stream of water pouring onto the driveway I'm walking past then look up and see this chimp in a window holding a water hose over the driveway below for seemingly no non-irreverent reason. He then threw a teddy bear at me and lowered a bucket for me to give it back to him in. That was about 10 years ago, and yet to this day I rarely can drive on Magee Ave towards my family's home without rubbernecking to see if I can catch a glimpse of the chimp in the window.
When I was in school his legend was very mythical, for he wasn't just a chimp. He was a chimp that would ride around in a corvette or a pick-up truck wearing overalls and diapers. I was one of the first to make a positive ID and stick to my story despite the detractors and nay-sayers. "NAY" they would say! But alas, this time the raving madman turns out to be right.

...Also there is an abandoned Beagote shack in Mansfield, CT where it is alleged that beagles and coyotes were being cross bread
...the truth is out there

The above cartoon is from today's NY Post.
I don't think I've seen a more public display of racism in quite a while.
The Audacity of Whatthe%#@k?!?!!????

P.S. They hate us for our freedom

I Quit

2009-02-10T11:41:00.000-05:00

1 Year Ago Today

Sunday

2009-01-14T13:59:00.001-05:00

Sunday
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Bloody Mary, Coffee, and Emergen-C

US Americans

2008-12-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -Abraham Lincoln

SUCH AS

Fatcatwa

2008-12-17T14:34:00.001-05:00

I am furious that Bernard Madoff is suspected of committing what is quite literally the greatest fraud of all time, and yet he was let off on bail. Knock off a 7 11 and you wont be granted bail, commit a $50 billion fraud that is already causing shutdowns of non-profits and philanthropic foundations and you'll be sent home with an ankle bracelet and a curfew. I'm a pacifist, so will somebody else please put a bullet in this guy's head?

Deceptions

2008-12-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

Richard Dawkins and Derren Brown

The Reigning Champion of Cute

2008-12-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Mocha the hamster and his 1st piece of broccoli!

I didn't know dogs could physically do this!

2008-12-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

I'm Real Environment

2008-12-10T18:31:00.001-05:00

I'm Real Environment
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Fugitive

2008-11-18T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today I awoke a fugitive.
I awoke around noon, though I was supposed to appear in court to contest a speeding ticket at 9.
I woke up late despite setting a total of 6 alarms on my phone (which was underneath me when I woke (great album!)), having Steve repeatedly call me and setting my faulty alarm clock (which has since been summarily smashed to bits).
I had to post $100 bond today to get off the lam and schedule another day to appear.
I was then told I'm probably not going to get to go to the Aspen shared vacation this year, which is a monumental bummer, being that last year was one of the best times of my life.
The whole day really put a damper on what was a good few days of renewal and personal growth.
Lucky for me all the bad juju wasn't powerful enough to completely wipe out the good juju I've been building up; and I'm happy to say that after a salad and some tea I'm back on top of the world!

oh, and also this...

Proposition H8

2008-11-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Most will look back on 11/4/08 with pride.
I will join those who look back in shame.

HALLOWEEN - What little my camera's dying battery allowed me to document

2008-11-01T23:53:00.001-04:00

Good Cop Bad Santa
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

I Killed Joe the Plumber
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Michael Winkler wearing one of my tags and being a very bad Santa at the Corner Bistro

Halloween Indeed
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Steve dressed as a woman. Sara dressed as a man. And me dressed in generally shiny things, I'm leaning in and thus you can't see my name tag. My shiny costume was essentially a vehicle for the name tags which I interchanged throughout the evening. I believe at this moment it read "Blow The Plumber".

Team Maverick
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Joe the Ghostbuster
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

I made a JOE THE GHOSTBUSTER name tag in case i wanted to put on my Ghostbusters jumpsuit I stole from jason who stole it from someone. I also had a YOU ARE JOE THE GHOSTBUSTER. While I decided not to wear it and instead wear shiny flowy things and various other name tags, I still brought the ghostbusters nametags with us. Emerging from the subway platform at the W4th street stop out to the street took quite a while and involved taking babysteps with a mob of costumed travelers all being squeezed through halls and stairwells. It was a foreshadowing of the disgusting mob party outside. I never thought I would see a party that rivaled Uconn's Spring Weekend for disgusting waste of a mob. During this subway herding debacle we were shoved near a man in a ghostbusters outfit. I gave him the Joe the Ghostbuster nametag, but he didn't find it all that funny and instead demanded one that said "Winston"...the black ghostbuster. Racist Ghostbuster

Russian Dolls
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Part of a family dressed as Russian Dolls

VOTE OBAMA
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

A not so shocking political statement amongst a set of beautifully crafted Jack-O-Lanterns in Abington Square.

Punkin Swirl
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Punkin Love
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Punkin Partments
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Probably the best Jack-O-Lantern I've ever seen

Obama is a Long Legged Mack Daddy

2008-11-01T23:43:00.002-04:00

Pastor James Manning PhD of the All The Land Anointed Holy World Missionary Church in Harlem.
This man has a deep seeded, lord-inspired hatred of the "long legged freak" Obama "HE'S A MACK DADDY!"
I do suggest you scan All The Land Anointed Holy's YouTube channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/ATLAHWorldwide )there are hundreds of videos, almost all are hilariously insane.
"Only a fool would cast a vote for that white trash"

He Visto Algo

2008-11-01T23:30:00.001-04:00

Say Something
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

The phrase is well known to Nuevo Yorkinos
"If you see something, say something!"
This Spanish take on that theme shows a suspicious package, which if seen, one should not keep to themselves!

Si Ves Algo
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Later that same day Steve DUBS inspects a suspicious package we found across the street from city hall. Within a stone's throw of the former WTC we found this gift-wrapped block of cement with balloons attached to it. It's as though someone was trying to make a point that you could leave an absurdly suspicious package pretty much anywhere in public and it could be easily unnoticed. I love Sundays.

NightLoop Pits

2008-11-01T23:20:00.001-04:00

NightLoop Pits
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

SMELL MY PITS!
On the NIGHTLOOP

Sleepyhead

2008-11-01T23:19:00.001-04:00

Sleepyhead
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

One of my new fascinations.
People sleeping on the subway.
A party i wish to be party to as seldom as possible.

Little Man

2008-11-01T23:15:00.001-04:00

Little Man
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

One of my new fascinations.
Steve melting the hair off of an Indian man that he has shrunken at my Feeling the Heat press conference.

See: http://radicalnormality.blogspot.com/2008/10/press-conference-imminentpsyc.html

[spam] ...be careful with their e-mails so that your parcel will not be in danger with their evil plans

2008-10-31T17:05:00.000-04:00

DHL Nigeria Head Office
70 International Airport Road
Mafoluku,Lagos
TEL: :+234 8075963642.

Customers Service Hours--Monday To Saturday:
Office Hours Monday To Saturday:

Attention:Beneficiary,

The DHL Delivery Service Company are hereby passing an essential message to all our valuable customers to be very careful while presenting their receivers residential address to avoid wrong delivery.

This is the DHL courier service company mailing you as per your parcel that was brought to this company to be delivered to you by one Miss.Stella Johnson of ZENITH BANK PLC, along the delivery process there came a misunderstanding between you and the nicon insurance company in regard of their request as per their insurance certificate which happens to be course of your parcel pending for the past One Year.

Meanwhile we are hereby happy to inform you that the DHL Company has finalized everything with the nicon insurance company of Nigeria as the company organization has also listed 24 valuable parcels to be intact in their office after the released of the parcels from the nicon insurance company. We are happy to inform you once again that your parcel that contain ATM CARD worth the sum of $2 million dollars is among the 24 parcels listed which is now in our office and also with your name as the receiver despite that we lost your private residential addresss, which is an indication that you can now re-send your residential address to back to the DHL company where your parcel can be delivered to you without hesitation with Meanwhile remember that the sender of this parcel Miss Stella Johnson of ZENITH BANK PLC still owes this company the sum of $150 before incident occured, know you that this company has spent out of their income in the process by recovering back your parcel so dear customer we once again appreciate your patronage in our favour.

Without hesitations you are to pay for just the balance left by yourn sender via western union so that your parcel can be delivered to your residential address before it accumulate a demurrage after one week only,as you know your parcel is not just an ordinary parcel but with a huge amount and I think you understand what I mean by accumulating a demurrage? Which you will not allow to happen to your recovery parcel that almost gone if not for the love that the good God have for you by favoring
you with his favour because it was God who did it not by your power but by the spirit say the lord. We assure you that your parcel will arrive at your country in two days time and it will get to your door step the third OR fourth day as soon as this company receive the balance left by your sender and the tracking number of your parcel will be sent to you via e-mail immediately so that you can track it yourself to see your parcel coming on the way and you will also know when it will arrive at your country because we operate in trust and loyalty in your favour. And also the DHL courier Service Company is hereby to inform all their customers by eradicating all their communication with the scam mails that are going all-over the world be careful with their e-mails so that your parcel will not be in danger with their evil plans.

DHL provides access to a growing global market place through a network of supply chain, transportation, business and related information services.

GET BACK TO THIS OFFICE WITH THESE INFORMATIONS AFTER PAYMENT

SENDERS NAME-----------------------------
SENDERS ADDRESS--------------------------
MTCN-------------------------------------
SENDERS COUNTRY--------------------------
RECIEVERS COUNTRY: WEST AFRICA (NIGERIA)
RECIEVERS NAME:EMMANUEL OSAGHAE
TEXT QUESTION: GOD IS
TEXT ANSWER:GOOD
AMOUNT TO BE PAID:$150.00 USD

DHL is one of the world's great success stories, the start-up that revolutionized the delivery of ATM CARD/packages and information. In the past 30 years, we've grown up and grown into adverse family of companies -a DHL that's bigger, stronger, better than ever.

Call me for more details:+234 8075963642
Reply to this email: dhlclearancedesk@live.com

WAITING TO READ YOUR E-MAIL.
YOURS AFFECTIONATLY.
MR.SAM BROWN.
PHONE: +234 8075963642

DHL COURIER MANAGING DIRECTOR.
Thanks for your Co-operation.
For the Ikeja Branch Manager
DHL Express Services Lagos Nigeria

Debate @ Solar1

2008-10-30T19:53:00.001-04:00

Solar1Debate
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Solar powered live outdoor screening of the 3rd presidential debate at the wonderful Solar 1 Green Energy, Arts & Education Center www.solar1.org/

STARCHILD

2008-10-30T19:52:00.001-04:00

STARCHILD
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

The Universe is intent on out-doing itself

2008-10-27T20:20:00.001-04:00

B

2008-10-25T01:34:00.000-04:00

A McCain volunteer claimed that she "was robbed at knife point of $60 in front of an ATM in Bloomfield, part of Pittsburgh, PA. When her attacker, a 6-ft, 4-in tall, 200 lb. dark-skinned black man saw a McCain bumper sticker on her car, he kicked and punched the woman, and then carved the letter “B” into the side of her face."

Turns out she actually just made it all up. She carved a "B" into her own face! In fact, since she did it in the mirror and she's an idiot, she carved it BACKWARDS!

[spam] Matter Of Urgent

2008-10-25T00:18:00.000-04:00

Please Always Endeavour to reply via Email: ups.claims @yahoo.com.hk

UPS COURIER COMPANY
12 Air Port Road,G.R.A.
West Africa, Nigeria.

Good Day.

I am Mrs.Kate Hood Of the Ups Courier Company,I have a Confirmable BankDraft of 500,000.00 GBP (Five Hundred Thousand Great British Pounds),that i deposited the Draft with UPS COURIER SERVICE,West Africa,I travelled out of the country for my hollidays and I will not return back untill the end of Augs.I want you to try all your best and contact the UPS COURIER SERVICE as soon as possible to know when you will get this package because of the expiring date.For your information,I have paid for the Security Keeping Fee, Insurance premium and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attackin your Country.

The only money you will send to the UPS COURIER SERVICE to deliver your Draft direct to your postal Address in your country is $150 USD only being Delivering Charge Fee of the Courier Company so far.Again,don't be deceived by any person to pay any other money except $150 USD being the Delivering Charge .I would have paid that but they said no because they don't know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage. You have to contact the UPS COURIER SERVICE now for the delivery of your Draft with this below information.

============================================
Contact Person: Mr. Halmiton White
Email Address: ups.claims @yahoo.com.hk
Telephone: +234-806-673-3007
Fax: +234-806-673-3007
============================================
Lastly, You are advice to send the below information to the Courier Company:

Your Full Name:
Postal address:
Direct telephone number:

Do send it to them again to avoid any mistake on the Delivery and ask them to give you the tracking number to enable you track your package over there and know when it will get to your address.

Yours Faithfully,
Mrs.Kate Hood.

Letter from 2012 in Obama’s America

2008-10-24T21:14:00.000-04:00

This is a 16 page letter form one of America's largest political action committees: Focus on the Family. And by focus on the family they mean focus on the gays. Focus on the Family and their founder DOCTOR James Dobson have some serious sexuality issues! Of course the millions of Christians who support Focus on the Family probably don't really want to impose Dobson's holy terror. They just don't want their children being taken on field trips to crack infested gay commie orgy brothels. Two examples of what their lobbyists have accomplished in 2008:
-Blocking the Matthew Shepard Act, the 1st federal Hate Crimes legislation that covers homosexuality, gender identity, or gender (groups that make up almost a quarter of all hate crime victims)
-Block ENDA - the 1st federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation. As it stands only 19 states have their own laws preventing this, thus without a federal law it is LEGAL in 31 states to FIRE someone for being gay.

This letter leans heavily on their homosexual obsessions.
It's one of those dance the fine line between laugh out loud funny, and these people actually are incredibly influential scary.

Here are some highlights:

On schools:
Elementary schools now include compulsory training in varieties of gender identity in Grade 1, including the goodness of homosexuality as one possible personal choice. Many parents tried to “opt out” their children from such sessions, but the courts have ruled that they cannot do this, noting that education experts in the government have decided that such training is essential to children's psychological health.

On Pornography:
It’s almost impossible now to keep any children from seeing pornography. The Supreme Court in 2011 nullified all Federal Communications Commission restrictions on obscene speech or visual content in radio and TV broadcasts, and television programs at all hours of the day now contain explicit portrayals of sexual acts.
Pornographic magazines are now openly displayed in gas stations, grocery stores, and newsstands (as they have been in some European countries for several years). In addition, law enforcement officials can no longer stop the distribution of child pornography, after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the such distribution violated freedom of speech and interstate commerce laws.

On Guns:
It is now illegal for private citizens to own guns for self defense in eight states, and the number is growing with increasing Democratic control of state legislatures and governorships. Citizens in those areas who are discovered owning guns have been subjected to heavy fines and imprisonment. Inner-city violent crime has increased dramatically.

On Terrorism:
President Obama directed U.S. intelligence services to cease all wiretapping of alleged terrorist phone calls unless they first obtained a specific court warrant for each case. Terrorists captured overseas, instead of being tried in military tribunals, are now given full trials in the U.S. court system, and they have to be allowed access to a number of government secrets to prepare their defense.
Since 2009 terrorist bombs have exploded in two large and two small U.S. cities, killing hundreds, and the entire country is now fearful, for no place seems safe. President Obama in each case has vowed “to pursue and arrest and prosecute those responsible,” but no arrests have yet been made. However, he has also challenged the nation to increase foreign aid to the poorer nations that were the breeding grounds for terrorism, so that people could have an opportunity to escape from the cycles of poverty and violence in which generations had been trapped.

On Universal Healthcare:
The great benefit is that medical care is now free for everyone -- if you can get it. Now that health care is free it seems that everybody wants more of it.
The waiting list for prostate cancer surgery is 3 years. The waiting list for ovarian cancer is 2 years. Just as the Canadian experience had shown prior to 2008 with its nationalized health care, so now in the US only a small number of MRIs are performed — only 10% of what they were in the U.S. in 2008 – because they are just too expensive, and they turn out to discover more problems that need treatment, so they are almost never authorized.

HERE'S MY FAVORITE PART:
Because medical resources now must be rationed carefully by the government, people over 80 have essentially no access to hospitals or surgical procedures. Their “duty” is increasingly thought to be to go home to die, so that they don’t drain scarce resources from the medical system. Euthanasia is becoming more and more common.

Read the full letter here: http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf

Chomsky on the election

2008-10-22T13:31:00.000-04:00

Excerpt:
"To say it doesn't make any difference who wins is simply to express your contempt for the general population, because it does make a difference. A lot of what they say is correct. The two parties are effectively factions of one party, the Business party, but the factions are somewhat different. And as I mentioned, over time the differences show up in benefits, working conditions, wages, things that really matter to people. So yes, there's a difference. It's a narrow difference and the spectrum within the political system is well to the right of popular opinion. Incidentally the public is well aware of it. So 80% of the population say that the government is run by, I'm quoting, a few big interests looking out for themselves, not the population. And you can argue about the details, but the picture is essentially correct, and they don't like it. Nevertheless, there is some difference, and you have to make a choice. If you're in a swing state, you have to ask, is this difference enough for me to pick the lesser of the two evils, and there's nothing wrong with picking the lesser of two evils. The cliché makes it sound like you're doing something bad, but no, you're doing something good if you pick the lesser of two evils. So is it worth doing that, or is it worth trying to act to create a potential alternative? For example, should I vote Green, because maybe someday their party will be a real alternative? Should I express my disdain for the right wing orientation of both parties by not voting, or should I pick the lesser of the two evils, thereby helping people? OK, that's a decision people have to make."

McCurmudgeonliness

2008-10-22T13:11:00.001-04:00

"I really have a problem with that, and I'm not the only one"
-Crazy Tracy: Real American
.

Leave it to Al Jazeera to be the network that does an expose on lies fueling the Republican campaign
.

McCain is forced to calm some of the rabid crowds that he and Palin have been fueling with their lies and Obama = terrorist speech. Note that his response to the final woman is "He's not" and not "He's not, but so what if he was?"
.

An example of one of McCain's "Robocalls", an inexpensive way to widely and quickly disseminate lies. Ironically robocalls were first used by Karl Rove in 2000 When McCain was beating George W. Bush in the Republican primary. McCain was smeared for having "interracial children" and his wifes drug addiction, these smears were the begining of the end of his 2000 run for the nomination. They were also cited by Colin Powell as an example of the dirty campaign practices that are among the reasons he has chosen to endorse Barack Obama

A Story - Circa 2/2/2007

2008-10-20T18:59:00.000-04:00

Go to:
http://files.ww.com/files/28744.html
Click on
"Right-Click here to download the file NormsStory.mp3"

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

2008-10-20T12:05:00.000-04:00

THE GREATEST MUSIC VIDEO I'VE EVER SEEN
World On Fire by Sarah McLachlan

http://worldonfire.ca/donations.html

Solid Gold Lordie

2008-10-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

WARNING: These Songs Will Get In Your Head!

Moment Of Genius from Bill Maher

2008-10-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

Raising McCrazy

2008-10-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

Press Conference Imminent!...psyc

2008-10-14T18:37:00.001-04:00

I've spent the last few days organizing a press conference for tomorrow. It looks like it's gonna be a smashing success!
I nabbed me a US congressman!
Representative Anthony Weiner of the Energy and Commerce Committee to be exact!
He's a badass, check it out:

We're releasing a report called Feeling the Heat: Global Warming and Rising Temperatures in the United States.
And we're also highlighting Weiner as

...as I was typing this blog entry aboot how excited I was aboot the press conference I had organized I got a call from Weiner's Deputy Communications Director informing me that the Congressman will likely have to stay in DC and will have to cancel his appearance at our press conference...

poo

...poor Pedro

2008-10-11T22:52:00.000-04:00

Today the phone rang and Steve picked it up, the person on the line

a)Didn't seem to hear us
b)Appeared to be in another conversation
c)Appeared to be breaking up with her boyfriend in this other conversation

It was intensely strange, we sat there for minutes and listened to this girl dump her boyfriend.

...intensely strange

Street Crusaders

2008-10-11T22:50:00.001-04:00

Street Crusaders
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Honestly, you have to see these guys to believe them!
They dress like He-Man, Lawrence of Arabia and Hallie Selassie had a threesome and rant about God, race, the New World Order and more!
And they're angry!
I think its just meant to be a spectacle to attract attention and money, cuz its just TOO ridiculous.

Steve Equinox

2008-10-11T22:49:00.001-04:00

Steve Equinox
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

There is a rumor that you can stand an egg upright on the equinox. While many, including Steve DUBS and the West Wing's CJ Craig have claimed to have successfully done this feat, the rumor itself is of course pure bullshit. The truth is that you can simply stand some eggs upright if you try long and hard enough. It's just that no one seems to be inclined to try that hard at it unless it is actually the equinox.
I played around with Steve's arm while he was passed out long enough that I found the point where the arm would stay upright like this. I am amazed that neither the process, nor the resultant bout of laughter woke this fallen man from his slumber.

...the world may never know.

2008-10-11T22:45:00.001-04:00

...the world may never know.
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

As I drifted home I noticed that along the same path that I was walking there was a glob of blood every foot or two. The blood was fresh, I don't mean that I knelt down and did the old dip my fingers in and touch my tongue as I intently rub my fingers together thing from the movies, I could see that it wasn't dry. This trail continued along 14th street from 2nd to 7th avenue. I thought that at any moment I would catch up to this person hobbling along with some sort of massive wound, being ignored by the fearful masses. I never came upon this person and the trail finally ended in this series of blood splotches and a clump of tissue in from of the YMCA near 8th avenue.

Night Church

2008-10-11T22:42:00.001-04:00

Night Church
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

There's a majestic Gothic church a few doors down from me, tucked away such that you really have to look to notice it. The only activity it sees is being rented out by a Russian youth church program on Sundays. I often see them setting up, I like to play guitar on the steps right across from the church. For example: http://radicalnormality.blogspot.com/2008/09/jerusalem.html

DUMBO EMPIRE

2008-10-11T22:40:00.003-04:00

DUMBO EMPIRE
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

The empire state building framed through the Manhattan bridge, down under the Manhattan bridge overpass

Red Empire

2008-10-11T22:40:00.001-04:00

Red Empire
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

The Empire in red from Herald Square

Gay Marriage?

2008-10-11T22:39:00.003-04:00

Gay Marriage?
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

Le Sac

2008-10-11T22:39:00.001-04:00

Le Sac
Originally uploaded by Radical Normality

This dog walker stopped for Bekka. He immediately handed her a bag of poop, and she cordially took it from him and continued the interaction. He later told her that he hates canvassers. I've always said, the ultimate revenge for being made to feel a little bad by being asked to do something good is to make a canvasser hold a bag of poop.
I love the posture of the bulldog!